THE PRIEST AND THE THIRD CHRISTIAN
MILLENNIUM: TEACHER OF THE WORD, MINISTER OF THE SACRAMENTS AND LEADER
OF THE COMMUNITY

Congregation for the Clergy

Vatican City, 19 March 1999
Solemnity of St Joseph
Patron of the universal Church

Your Eminence,
Your Excellency,

The entire Church prepares to enter the third millennium since the
Incarnation of the Word in a spirit of penance, and, by the continued
Apostolic solicitude of the Successor of Peter, is stimulated to an ever
more lively recollection of the will of her divine Founder.

At its Plenary Assembly of 13-15 October 1998, the Congregation for
the Clergy, in a spirit of intimate communion with that objective,
decided to entrust the enclosed circular letter to every Ordinary, for
transmission to their priests. On that occasion, the Holy Father said
"The prospective of New Evangelization reaches a high point in
commitment to the Great Jubilee. Here, providentially, we retrace the
paths laid out in Tertio millennio adveniente, in the Directories
for Priests and Permanent Deacons, in the Instruction on the
collaboration of the lay faithful with the pastoral ministry of priests
and in the fruits of this Plenaria. With a convinced universal
application of these documents, what is expressed by the now familiar
term "new evangelization" can be more easily translated into
effective reality".

Bearing in mind actual circumstances, this document is designed to
lead individual priests as well as presbyterates to an examination of
conscience, remembering that, in concrete terms, love means fidelity.
This document reiterates the teachings of the Council, and of the Popes
and it refers to the other documents already mentioned by the Holy
Father. These documents are fundamental for an authentic response to the
demands of our time and for an effective mission of evangelization.

The questionnaires at the end of each section are intended as an aid
to discerning everyday reality in the light of the teaching contained in
the aforementioned documents. It is not intended that any replies should
be sent to this Congregation. Priests may use them in whatever manner
they find most helpful for them.

We are aware that no missionary activity can be realistically
undertaken without the enthusiastic support of priests, who are the
first and most valued collaborators of the Order of Bishops. This letter
is also intended as a help for priests attending study days, retreats,
spiritual exercises and priestly meetings being promoted in each
ecclesiastical circumscription during this time of preparation
for the Great Jubilee, and especially during the Jubilee Year.

May the Queen of Apostles, the bright Morning Star, guide her beloved
priests, sons of her Son, into the path of effective communion, fidelity
and generous, integral exercise of their indispensable ministry.

With sentiments of fraternal esteem, I remain
Yours sincerely in Christ,

Cardinal Dario Castrillon HoyosPrefect

Csaba TernyikTitular Archbishop of Eminentiana Secretary

INTRODUCTION

Catholic doctrinal tradition describes the priest as teacher of
the Word, minister of the Sacraments and leader of the Christian
community entrusted to him. This is the point of all reflection on
the identity and mission of the priest in Church. In the light of new
evangelization, to which the Holy Spirit calls all the faithful
through the person and authority of the Holy Father, this unchanging yet
ever-new doctrine must again be reflected upon with faith and hope.

The whole Church is called to greater apostolic commitment which is
both personal and communitarian, renewed and generous. Encouraged by the
personal example and clear teaching of John Paul II, both pastors and
faithful must but realize ever more incisively that the time has come to
hasten their preparations, with renewed apostolic spirit, to cross the
threshold of the 21st century and to throw open the door of history to
Jesus Christ, who is our God and only Saviour. Pastors and faithful in
the year 2000 are called to proclaim with renewed force: "Ecce
natus est nobis Salvator mundi".1

"In countries with ancient Christian roots, and occasionally in
the younger Churches as well, entire groups of the baptized have lost a
living sense of the faith or even no longer consider themselves members
of the Church and live a life far removed from Christ and his Gospel. In
this case what is needed is a 'new evangelization' or a
're-evangelization'".2 New evangelization, therefore, is
firstly a maternal reaction of the Church to the weakening of the faith
and obscuring of the demands of the Christian moral life in the
conscience of her children. Many of the baptized live in a world
indifferent to religion. While maintaining a certain faith, these
practically live a form of religious and moral indifferentism, alienated
from Word and Sacraments which are essential for the Christian life.
There are others, although born of Christian parents and baptized, who
have never received a foundation in the faith and live in practical
atheism. The Church looks on all of these with love and is particularly
sensitive to the pressing duty to draw these people to that ecclesial
communion where, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, they rediscover
Jesus Christ and the Father.

Together with new evangelization which seeks to rekindle the faith in
the Christian conscience of many and cause the joyful proclamation of
salvation to resound in society, the Church is also especially conscious
of her perennial mission ad gentes—the right/duty to carry the
Gospel to a men who do not yet know Christ or participate in his
salvific gifts. For the contemporary Church, Mother and Teacher, the
mission ad gentes and new evangelization are inseparable aspects
of her mandate to teach, sanctify and guide all men to the Father.
Fervent Christians also need loving and continuous encouragement in
their quest for personal holiness, to which they are called by God and
by the Church. This is the true impetus of new evangelization.

All the Christian faithful, children of the Church, should be
impelled by this common and pressing responsibility. In a particular
way, priests have duty since they have been specially chosen,
consecrated and sent to make evident the presence of Christ whose
authentic representatives and messengers they become.3 It is,
therefore, necessary to assist both secular and religious priests in
assuming the "important pastoral responsibility of new
evangelization"4 and, in the light of this commitment,
to rediscover the divine call to serve that portion of God's people
entrusted to them as teachers of the Word, ministers of the Sacraments
and pastors of the flock.

CHAPTER ONE

In the Service of New Evangelization

'You did not choose me, no, I chose you and
commissioned you to go out' (John 15:16)

1. New Evangelization, responsibility of the entire
Church

Being called and sent by the Lord have always been relevant but in
contemporary historical circumstances they acquire a particular
importance. The end of the 20th century, from a religious perspective,
is marked by contrasting phenomena. On the one hand, intense
secularization in society results in rejection of God and all reference
to the transcendent, while the other is marked by the emergence of a
greater religious sensitivity which seeks to satisfy the innate
aspiration for God which is present in the hearts of all mankind but
which sometimes fails to find satisfactory expression.

"The mission of Christ the Redeemer which is entrusted to the
Church, is still very far from completion. As the second millennium
after Christ's coming draws to an end, an overall view of the human race
shows that this mission is still only beginning and that we must commit
ourselves wholeheartedly to its service".5 Today, this
missionary task is carried out largely in the context of the new
evangelization of many countries which have had long Christian
traditions but in which the Christian understanding of life appears to
be in decline. It is also carried out in the general context of mankind,
in which not everyone has yet heard and understood the proclamation of
the salvation brought by Christ.

It is a sad but evident reality that many have heard of Christ but
seem to know and accept his teaching merely as a set of general ethical
norms rather than as concrete life commitments. Large numbers of the
baptized have abandoned following Christ and live by the tenets of
relativism. In many instances, the role of the Christian faith is
reduced to that of a purely cultural factor often limited to a merely
private sphere and without any social relevance in individual or
national life.6

After 20 centuries of Christianity there is still no shortage of wide
missionary fields. All Christians should be aware that, in virtue of
their baptismal priesthood (cf. 1 Pt 2:4-5, 9; Rv 1:5-6, 9-10; 20:6),
they are called to collaborate, in so far as their personal
circumstances permit, in the new evangelizing mission which is a common
ecclesial undertaking.7 Responsibility for missionary
activity "is incumbent primarily on the College of Bishops presided
over by its head, the Successor of Peter".8
"Priests, who are collaborators with the Bishop in virtue of the
Sacrament of Orders, are called to share responsibility for the
mission".9 Thus it can be said that, in a certain sense,
they bear primary responsibility "for this new evangelization of
the third millennium".10

Encouraged by scientific and technical advances, contemporary society
has developed a profound sense of critical independence from secular and
religious authority and doctrine. This situation requires thorough
explanation and presentation of the Christian message of salvation which
always remains a mystery. Such must be done with respect and with the
power and capacity of the first evangelization, while making prudent use
of all suitable methods afforded by modern technology. However, it
should never be forgotten that technology is no substitute for the
witness of holiness of life. The Church needs true witnesses to
communicate the Gospel in every sector of society. From this derives the
need for all Christians in general, and for priests in particular, to
acquire a profound and proper training in philosophy and theology11
which enables them to render account for their faith and hope. Such also
alerts them to the importance of presenting the faith constructively by
means of personal dialogue and understanding. Proclamation of the
Gospel, however, cannot be reduced to dialogue alone. The courage of the
truth is, in fact, an ineluctable challenge when confronted with
temptation to conform, or to seek facile popularity or personal
convenience.

When evangelizing, it must be remembered that some of the traditional
ideas and vocabulary of evangelization have become unintelligible to the
greater part of contemporary culture. Certain contexts are impervious to
the positive Christian sense of terms such as original sin and its
consequences, redemption, the cross, the need for prayer, voluntary
sacrifice, chastity, sobriety, obedience, humility, penance, poverty,
etc. New evangelization, in fidelity to the doctrine of the faith
constantly taught by the Church and with a strong sense of
responsibility with regard to the vocabulary of Christian doctrine, must
discover means of expressing itself to the contemporary world so as to
help it rediscover the profound meaning of these Christian and human
terms. In this effort, new evangelization cannot discard the established
formulations of faith which have already been arrived at and which are
summarized in the Creed.12

2. The necessary and indispensable role of priests

While the Pastors of the Church "know that they themselves were
not established by Christ to undertake alone the whole salvific mission
of the Church to the world",13 they do exercise an
absolutely indispensable evangelizing role. New evangelization needs
urgently to find a form for the exercise of the priestly ministry really
consonant with contemporary conditions so as to render it effective and
capable of adequately responding to the circumstances in which it is
exercised. This, however, can only be done by constant reference to
Christ, our only model, who enables us to move in contemporary
conditions without losing sight of our final goal. Genuine pastoral
renewal is not motivated solely by socio-cultural considerations but,
more importantly, by a burning love for Christ and his Church. The end
of all our efforts is the definitive Kingdom of Christ, recapitulation
of all created things in him. This will only be fully achieved at the
end of time but already it is present through the power of the
life-giving Spirit through whom Jesus Christ constituted his body, the
Church, as universal sacrament of salvation.14

Christ, head of the Church and Lord of all creation, continues his
salvific work among men. The ministerial priesthood is properly located
within this operative framework. In drawing all things to himself (cf. Jn
12:32), Christ desires to involve his priests in a special way. This is
the divine plan (God wills that the Church and her ministers should be
involved in the work of redemption) which, although evident from a
doctrinal and theological perspective, can be particularly difficult for
modern man to accept. Sacramental mediation and the hierarchical
structure of the Church are often questioned today. The need for
sacramental mediation or for the hierarchical structure of the Church as
well as the reasons for them are also called into question.

As the life of Christ was consecrated to the authentic proclamation
of the loving will of the Father (cf. Jn 17:4; Heb 10:7-10) so too the
life of priests should be consecrated, in his name, to the same
proclamation. "In word and deed" (cf. Acts 1:1) the Messiah
devoted his public life to preaching with authority (cf. Mt 7:29). Such
authority derived, in the first place, from his divine condition but
also, in the eyes of the people, from his sincere, holy and perfect
example. Likewise, the priest is obliged to complement the objective
spiritual authority which is his in virtue of sacred ordination15
with a subjective authority deriving from sincerity and holiness of
life,16 and that pastoral charity which manifests the love of
Christ.17 Gregory the Great's exhortation to his priests is
still relevant: "The Pastor must be pure in thought, exemplary in
his actions, discreet in his silence and useful in his words. He should
be close to all in his compassion and, above all, dedicated to
contemplation. He should be the humble ally of all who do good. In
justice, he should be inflexibly opposed to the vice of sinners. He
should neither neglect the interior life through exterior preoccupations
nor omit provision of exterior needs through solicitude for interior
good".18

In our times, as always in the Church, "heralds of the Gospel
are needed who are expert in humanity, profoundly knowing the head of
contemporary man, who share his joys and hopes, his fears and sorrows,
and, at the same time, who are contemplatives in love with God".
The Holy Father, specifically referring to the re-christianization of
Europe but in terms valid everywhere, affirms that "the saints were
the great evangelizers of Europe. We must pray the Lord to increase the
spirit of holiness in the Church and to send saints to evangelize the
contemporary world".19 Many of our contemporaries, it
must not be forgotten, arrive at ideas of Christ and the Church above
all through their contact with her sacred ministers. Hence the need for
their authentic witness to the Gospel becomes all the more pressing
since it is "a living and transparent image of Christ the
priest".20

In the context of Christ's saving action, two inseparable objectives
can be highlighted: an intellectual objective, on the one hand, which
seeks to teach, instruct the crowds without shepherds (cf. Mt 9:36) and
move the intelligence towards conversion (cf. Mt 4:17), and, on the
other, the desire to move the hearts of those who listened to him to
sorrow and penance for their sins thereby opening the way to divine
forgiveness. This continues to be true today: "the call to new
evangelization is primarily a call to conversion"21 and
when the Word of God has taught the intellect of man and moved his will
to reject sin evangelizing activity attains its goal in fruitful
participation in the sacraments, especially in the celebration of the
Eucharist. Paul VI taught that "the role of evangelization is
precisely to educate people in the faith in such a way as to lead each
individual Christian to live the sacraments of faith—and not to
receive them passively or reluctantly".22

Evangelization consists of proclamation, witness, dialogue and
service. It is based on three inseparable elements: preaching the Word,
sacramental ministry and leading the faithful.23 Preaching
would be senseless unless it include continuous formation of the
faithful and Participation in the sacraments. Likewise, participation in
the sacraments without sincere conversion of heart, full acceptance of
the faith and of the principles of Christian morality is also
meaningless. From a pastoral perspective, the primary action of
evangelization is, logically, considered to be preaching.24
From the perspective of intentionality, however, the primary element of
evangelization must be celebration of the sacraments, especially of
Penance and the Blessed Eucharist.25 The integrity of the
pastoral ministry of priests in the service of new evangelization is to
be found, however, in a harmonious fusion of both of these functions.

Ecumenical formation of the faithful is another aspect of new
evangelization of growing importance. The Second Vatican Council
encouraged all the faithful "to take an active and intelligent part
in the work of ecumenism" and "to esteem the truly Christian
endowments of our common heritage which are to be found among our
separated brethren."26 At the same time, however, it
must be noted that "nothing is so foreign to the spirit of
ecumenism as a false irenicism which harms the purity of Catholic
doctrine and obscures its genuine and certain meaning".27
Priests should ensure that ecumenism is always conducted in fidelity to
the principles established by the Magisterium of the Church, avoid
divisions and promote harmonious continuity.

Questionnaire on Chapter One

1. Is the need for and urgency of new evangelization really
felt in our ecclesial communities and. especially among our priests?

2. Is it frequently preached? Does new evangelization feature at
clergy meetings, in pastoral programmes and in continuing formation?

3. Are priests especially involved in promoting a new evangelizing
mission new in its "ardour, methods and expression"28—both
ad intra and ad extra in the Church?

4. Do the faithful regard the priesthood as a divine gift both for
those who receive it and for, their communities, or do they regard the
priesthood merely as an administrative function? Are prayers for
vocations to the priesthood sufficiently encouraged as well as prayers
for that generosity which responds affirmatively to a vocation?

5. In preaching the Word of God and in catechesis is the necessary
proportion between instruction in the faith and sacramental practice
maintained? Is the evangelizing activity of priests characterized by a
complementarity between preaching and sacraments, the "munus
docendi" and the "munus sanctificandi"?

6. What can be done to help priests become ministers who harmoniously
build the prophetic, liturgical and charitable community which is the
Church?

7, From the preparations for the Great Jubilee of 2000 do priests
derive opportunities and ideas for, a realistic programme of new
evangelization?

CHAPTER TWO

Teachers of the Word

'Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to
all creation' (Mk 16:15)

A correct understanding of the pastoral ministry of the Word begins
with a consideration of God's divine Revelation in itself. "By this
revelation, the invisible God (cf. Col 1: 15; 1 Tm 1: 17), from the
fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends (cf. Ex 33:11; Jn
15:14-15) and moves among them in order to invite and receive them into
his company".29 The proclamation of the Kingdom in
Scripture not only speaks of the glory of God but also spreads that same
glory by its very proclamation. The Gospel preached by the Church is not
just a message but a divine and life-giving experience for those who
believe, hear, receive and obey the message.

Revelation, therefore, is not limited to instruction about God who
lives in inaccessible light since it also recounts the marvelous things
that God does for us with his grace. The revealed Word, made present and
actualized "in" and "through" the Church, is an
instrument through which Christ acts in us with his Spirit. It is both
judgment and grace. In hearing the Word, the actual encounter with God
himself calls to the heart of man and demands a decision which is not
arrived at solely through intellectual knowledge but which requires
conversion of heart.

"It is the first task of priests as co-workers of the Bishops to
preach the Gospel of God to all men... [so as to]... set up and increase
the People of God".30 Precisely because preaching the
Gospel is not merely an intellectual transmission of a message but
"the power of God for the salvation of all who believe" (Rom
1:16), accomplished for all time in Christ, its proclamation in the
Church requires from its heralds a supernatural basis which guarantees
its authenticity and its effectiveness. The proclamation of the Gospel
by the sacred ministers of the Church is, in a certain sense, a
participation in the salvific character of the Word itself, not only
because they speak of Christ, but because they proclaim the Gospel to
their hearers with that power to call which comes from their
participation in the consecration and mission of the incarnate Word of
God. The words of the Lord still resound in the ears of his ministers:
"Whosoever listens to you listens to me; whosoever despises you
despises me" (Lk 10: 16). Together with St Paul they can testify:
"the Spirit we have received is not the world's spirit but God's
Spirit, helping us to recognize the gifts he has given us: We speak of
these not in words of human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit,
thus interpreting spiritual things in spiritual terms" (1 Cor
2:12-13).

Proclaiming the Gospel is a ministry deriving from the sacrament of
Orders and is exercised by the authority of Christ. The power of the
Holy Spirit does not guarantee all the acts of sacred ministers in the
same way. In the administration of the sacraments this guarantee is
assured to the extent that not even the sinful condition of a minister
can impede the fruit of grace. There are many other acts in which the
human qualities of the minister acquire notable importance. Those
qualities can serve to promote or impede the apostolic effectiveness of
Church.31 While the entire munus pastorale must be
characterized by service, it is especially necessary that service
characterize the minister of preaching since the salvific effectiveness
of the Word becomes more operative when its minister, who is never
master of the Word, increasingly becomes its servant.

Service demands a personal dedication on the part of the minister to
the preached Word. Such dedication ultimately is made to God "to
whom I render worship in my heart by preaching the Gospel of his
Son" (Rom 1:9). The minister may not place obstacles in its path by
pursuing objectives extraneous to its mission, or relying on human
wisdom, or by promoting subjective experiences that can obscure the
Gospel. The Word of God can never be manipulated. Rather, preachers
"should firstly become personally familiar with the Word of God...
and be the first "believers" in the Word, fully conscious that
the words of their preaching are not their own, but those of the one who
sent them".32

There is an essential relationship between personal prayer and
preaching. From meditating on the Word of God in personal prayer
comes that spontaneous "primacy of witness of life which discovers
the power of the love of God and makes his word convincing.33
Effective preaching is another fruit of personal prayer. Such preaching
is effective not only because of its speculative coherence but because
it comes from a prayerful, sincere heart which is aware that sacred
ministers are bound not to impart their own wisdom but the Word of God
and ceaselessly to invite all to conversion and holiness".34
The preaching of Christ's sacred ministers, to be effective, requires
that it be based on their spirit of filial prayer: "sit orator
antequam dictor".35

Personal prayer provides priests with support and encouragement for
their sense of the ministry, their vocation in life, and for their
living and apostolic faith. In personal prayer they draw daily zeal for
evangelization. Once personally convinced of this, it is translated into
persuasive, coherent and convincing preaching. Praying the Liturgy of
the Hours thus is not simply a matter of personal piety nor is it
the totality of the Church's public prayer. It is of great pastoral use36
since it is a special opportunity to interiorize and become familiar
with biblical, patristic, theological and magisterial teaching which can
subsequently be returned to the People of God through preaching.

2. Towards an effective proclamation of the Word

New evangelization has to underline the importance of bringing to
maturity the meaning of the baptismal vocation of the faithful, thereby
bringing the faithful to an awareness that they have been called by God
closely to follow Christ and personally to collaborate in the Church's
mission. "Transmitting the faith means awakening, proclaiming and
deepening the Christian vocation, that is, God's call to all men as he
makes known to them the mystery of salvation...".37 The
task of preaching, therefore, is to present Christ to all men because he
alone, "the new Adam, in the very revelation of the mystery of the
Father and of his love, fully reveals man to himself and brings to light
his most high calling".38

New evangelization together with a vocational sense of existence go
hand in hand for the Christian. This is the "good news" which
must be preached to the faithful without any reductionism in what
concerns its goodness and the demands which are made in accomplishing
it. It must always be remembered that "the Christian is certainly
bound by need and by duty to struggle with evil through many afflictions
and to suffer death; but as one who has been made a partner in the
paschal mystery and configured to the death of Christ, he will go
forward, strengthened by hope, to the resurrection".39

New evangelization demands a zealous ministry of the Word which is
complete and well-founded. It should have a clear theological,
spiritual, liturgical and moral content, while bearing in mind the needs
of those men and women whom it must reach. This is not to succumb to any
temptation to intellectualism which could obscure rather than enlighten
the intelligence of Christians; rather it requires a genuine
intellectual charity through continuous patient catechesis on the
fundamentals of Catholic faith and morals and on their influence on the
spiritual life. Christian instruction is foremost among the spiritual
works of mercy: salvation comes by knowing Christ since "there is
no other name in the whole world given to men by which we are to be
saved" (Acts 4:12).

Catechetical proclamation cannot be achieved without use of a solid
theology since it requires not only presentation of revealed doctrine
but also formation of the intelligence and conscience of the faithful by
means of revealed doctrine so that they can authentically live the
demands of their baptismal calling. New evangelization will be achieved
not only in the measure that the Church as a whole and its institutions
but each and every Christian live the faith authentically, thereby
giving credible witness to that same faith.

Evangelizing means announcing and spreading the contents of revealed
truth by every available good and congruent means (Christological and
Trinitarian faith, the meaning of the dogma of creation, the
eschatological truths the doctrine concerning the Church, man, the
sacraments and other means of salvation). It is also important to teach
people how concretely to translate these truths into life by means of
spiritual and moral formation so that they become a witness to life and
missionary commitment.

The task of spiritual and theological formation (and that of
permanent formation of priests, deacons and the lay faithful) is both
inescapable and enormous. Hence, the ministry of the Word and its
ministers must be able to respond to current circumstances. While its
effectiveness is essentially dependent on the help of God, it also
requires the highest possible degree of human perfection. A renewed
doctrinal, theological and spiritual proclamation of the Christian
message, aimed primarily to enthuse and purify the conscience of the
baptized, cannot be achieved through irresponsible or indolent
improvisation. Less still can it be brought about if there is an
unwillingness on the part of priests to assume directly their
responsibilities for the proclamation of the Gospel—especially those
relating to the homiletic ministry which cannot be delegated to the
non-ordained40 nor easily entrusted to those ill-prepared for
its exercise.

Preaching, as always has been insisted, requires the priest to give
particular attention to the importance of remote preparation. This
can be concretized by such things as study and the pursuit of those
things which can help the sacred ministers in their preparation.
Pastoral sensitivity on the part of preachers must always be aware of
the problems preoccupying the contemporary world and be able to identify
possible solution for them. "Moreover, if priests are to give
adequate answers to the problems discussed by people at the present
time, they should be well-versed in the statements of the Church's
magisterium and especially those of the Councils and the Popes. They
should also consult the best approved writers in theology"41
as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Insistence must
also be placed on the importance of the permanent formation of the
clergy and especially on its content which should be in accord with the Directory
for the Ministry and Life of Priests.42Efforts in
this regard will always reap a rich harvest. In addition to the
foregoing, attention must be given to the proximate preparation needed
to preach the Word of God. Apart from exceptional circumstances where
nothing else is possible, humility and industry require, at the very
least, a careful plan of what the priest intends to preach.

The principle source for preaching is naturally Sacred Scripture,
deeply meditated in personal prayer and assimilated through study and
adequate contact with suitable books.43 Pastoral experience
well demonstrates the capacity of the power and eloquence of the sacred
text to stir the hearts of those who hear it. The Fathers of the Church
and the other great writers of the Catholic tradition teach us how to
penetrate the meaning of the revealed Word and communicate it to others.44
This is far removed from any form of "biblical fundamentalism"
or mutilation of the divine message. The pedagogy with which the Church
reads, interprets and applies the Word of God throughout the liturgical
seasons should also be a point of reference for preaching. The lives of
the saints, their struggles and heroism, have always produced positive
effects in the hearts of the Christian faithful who, today, have special
need of the heroic example of the saints in their self-dedication to the
love of God and, through God, to others. Reference to the lives of the
saints has renewed significance in contemporary circumstances where the
faithful are often assailed by equivocal values and doctrines. All of
these are helpful for evangelization as indeed is the promotion of a
sense of the love of God among the faithful, a solidarity with everyone
and spirit of service and generous self-giving for others. Christian
conscience comes to maturity through constant reference to charity.

The priest should also cultivate the formal aspects of preaching. We
live in an information era characterized by rapid communication. We
frequently hear experts and specialists on the television and radio. In
a certain sense the priest (who is also a social communicator) has to
compete with these when he preaches to the faithful. Hence his message
must be presented in an attractive manner. His apostolic spirit should
move him to acquire competence in the use of the "new pulpits"
provided by modern communications and ensure that his preaching is
always of a standard congruent with the preached Word. Universities
today have witnessed a resurgence of interest in rhetoric. A similar
interest should be aroused among priests as well as a desire to acquire
a noble and dignified self-presentation and poise like that of Christ,
priestly preaching should be positive, stimulating and draw men and
women to the goodness, beauty and truth of God. Christians are bound to
make known "the divine glory which shines on the face of
Christ" (2 Cor 4:6) and present revealed truth in a captivating
way. Is it not impossible to deny the strong attractive, though serene,
nature of Christian existence? There is nothing to fear in this.
"From the moment when, in the Paschal Mystery, she received the
gift of the ultimate truth about man's life, the Church has made her way
along the path of the world proclaiming that Jesus Christ is "the
way, the truth and the life" (Jn 14:6). It is her duty to serve
humanity in different ways, but one way in particular imposes a
responsibility of a quite special kind: the diaconia of service to
the truth".45

Elegant accurate language, comprehensible to contemporary men and
women of all social backgrounds, is always useful for preaching. Banal
commonplace language should be eschewed.46 While preachers
must speak from an authentic vision of faith, a vocabulary must be
employed which is comprehensible in all quarters and must avoid
specialized jargon or concessions to the spirit of materialism. The
human "key" to effective preaching of the Word is to be found
in the professionalism of the preacher who knows what he wants to say
and who is always backed up by serious remote and proximate preparation.
This is far removed from the improvisation of the dilettante. Attempts
to obscure the entire force of truth are insidious forms of irenicism.
Care should therefore be taken with the meaning of words, style and
diction. Important themes should be highlighted, without ostentation,
after careful reflection. A pleasant speaking voice should be
cultivated. Preachers should know their objectives and have a good
understanding of the existential and cultural reality of their
congregations. Theories and abstract generalizations must always be
avoided. Hence every preacher should know his own flock well and use an
attractive style which, rather than wounding people, strikes the
conscience and is not afraid to call things for what they really are.

Priests engaged in different pastoral tasks should help each other
with fraternal advice on these and other matters such as the content of
preaching and its theological and linguistic quality, style, the
duration of homilies—which should always be reasonable, the proper use
of the ambo, the development of an unaffected normal tone of voice and
its inflection while preaching. Humility is necessary if the priest is
to be helped by his brother priests and, indirectly, by the faithful who
cooperate in his pastoral activities.

Questionnaire on Chapter Two

8. Do we really appreciate the real effect of the ministry of the
Word on the life of our communities? Are we anxious to use this
essential instrument of evangelization with the best possible
professionalism?

9. Is sufficient attention given to perfecting the diverse forms of
proclamation of the Word in permanent formation courses?

10. Are priests encouraged to study sound theology and the writings
of the Fathers of the Church, the Doctors of the Church and of the
Saints? Are positive efforts made to know and make known the great
masters of Christian spirituality?

11. Is the formation of good libraries for priests, encouraged which
reflect a solid doctrinal outlook?

12. Is it possible locally to access libraries available on the
Internet? Are priests aware of the electronic library which has been set
up by the Congregation for the Clergy (www.clerus.org)?

13. Do priests use the catechesis and teaching of the Holy
Father and the various documents published by the Holy See?

14. Is there an awareness of the necessity to train people (priests,
permanent deacons, religious and laity) capable of using well the means
of communication which are key aspects of the evangelization of
contemporary culture?

"The Church's mission is not an addition to that of Christ and
the Holy Spirit, but is its sacrament: in her whole being and in all her
members, the Church is sent to announce, bear witness, make present, and
spread the mystery of the communion of the Holy Trinity".47
This sacramental dimension of the whole mission of the Church springs
from her very nature as a reality which is "both human and divine,
visible, yet endowed with invisible realities, zealous in action and
dedicated to contemplation, present in the world but as a pilgrim".48
In the context of the Church as "universal sacrament of
salvation",49 in which Christ "manifests and
actualizes the mystery of God's love for men",50 the
sacraments, privileged moments in communicating the divine life to man,
are at the very core of priestly ministry. Priests are especially
conscious of being living instruments of Christ, the Priest. Their
function, in virtue of sacramental character, is that of men complying
with the action of God through shared instrumental effectiveness.

Configuration to Christ in sacramental ordination places the priest
at the heart of God's people. It allows him to participate in a way
proper to him, and in conformity with the whole structure of the
ecclesial community, in the triple munus Christi. The priest,
acting in "persona Christi Capitis", feeds the flock, the
people of God, and leads them to sanctity.51 Hence the need
for credible witness to the faith in all aspects of priestly life and in
his respect for and celebration of the sacraments.52 The
classic doctrine, repeated by the Second Vatican Council, must always be
borne in mind: "while it is true that God can accomplish the work
of salvation through unworthy ministers, God nevertheless, ordinarily
prefers to manifest his greatness through those who are more docile to
the promptings and direction of the Holy Spirit, so much so that they
can say of the apostolate, thanks to their own intimate union with
Christ and holiness of life: 'it is no longer I who live but Christ who
lives in me'" (Gal 2:20).53

Priests, in celebrating the sacraments, act as ministers of Christ
and, through the Holy Spirit, participate in his priesthood in a special
way.54 Hence the sacraments are moments of worship of
singular importance for new evangelization. It must be recalled that
they have become the only effective moments for transmitting the
contents of the faith. While this is true for all the faithful it is
even more true for those who, having lost the practice of the faith,
occasionally participate in the liturgy for family or social reasons
(baptisms, confirmations, marriages, ordinations, funerals etc.). A
credible life-style on the part of priests should be complemented
"with a high standard of ceremony and liturgical celebration":55
it should not seek spectacle but truly ensure that "the human is
directed toward and subordinate to the divine, the visible to the
invisible, action to contemplation, this present world to the city yet
to come".56

2. Ministers of the Eucharist: core of priestly
ministry

"Jesus called his Apostles 'friends'. He also calls us friends
since we share in his priesthood by virtue of the Sacrament of
Orders.... Could Jesus have expressed his friendship for us in a more
eloquent way than by allowing us, priests of the New Covenant, to act in
his name, to act in persona Christi Capitis? This is what happens
in all our priestly service, when we administer the sacraments and
especially when we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. We repeat the words
spoken by him over the bread and wine, and, through our ministry we
effect the same consecration as effected by Christ. Can there be a more
complete expression of friendship than this? This is what is at the very
core of our priestly ministry".57

New evangelization must also signal a new clarity about the
centrality of the Eucharist, the source and summit of the entire
Christian life, to the faithful.58 "No Christian
community can be built up unless it grow from and hinges on to the
celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist"59 because
"the other sacraments and indeed all ecclesial ministries and works
of the apostolate are bound up with the Eucharist and are directed
toward it. For in the most Blessed Eucharist is contained the whole
spiritual good of the Church".60

The Eucharist is also the object of the pastoral ministry. The
faithful must participate in it if they are to draw fruit from it. While
it is necessary to inculcate a "worthy, careful and fruitful"
preparation for the liturgy among the laity, it is also necessary to
bring them to an awareness that they are "invited and led to offer
themselves, their works and all creation with Christ. For this reason
the Eucharist appears as the source and summit of all preaching of the
Gospel".61 From this truth many consequences follow for
the pastoral ministry.

Formation of the faithful concerning the essence of the Holy
Sacrifice of the Altar is vitally important as is the need to encourage
them to participate fruitfully in the Eucharist.62 Insistence
must be made on the observance of the Sunday obligation63 and
on frequent, if not daily, participation in the celebration of the Mass
and Holy Communion. Emphasis must be placed on the grave obligation to
fulfil the spiritual and corporeal conditions governing reception of the
Body of Christ—especially individual sacramental confession for those
conscious that they are not in a state of grace. The strength of
Christian life in every particular Church and parish community depends,
in large measure, on rediscovery of the great gift of the Eucharist in
faith and adoration. When the link between daily life and the Eucharist
is not clearly manifested in the priest's doctrinal teaching, preaching
and life, participation begins to fall into abeyance.

In this respect, the example of the priest-celebrant is fundamentally
important: "celebrating the Eucharist well is an important form of
primary catechesis on the Holy Sactifice".64 While this
is not the immediate intention of the priest, it is important for the
faithful to see him prepare well by recollecting himself before
celebrating the Holy Sacrifice. They should be able to witness the love
and devotion that he has for the Eucharist and, following his example,
they should learn to remain, for a while, in thanksgiving after Holy
Communion.

While an essential part of the Church's work of evangelization is to
teach men and women to pray to the Father, through the Son in the Holy
Spirit, new evangelization entails the recovery and consolidation of
pastoral practices which manifest belief in the real presence of Our
Lord under the eucharistic species. "The priest has a mission to
promote the cult of the eucharistic presence, also outside of the
celebration of the Mass, thereby making of his own church a Christian
'house of prayer’".65 The faithful should be well
instructed with regard to the indispensable conditions for the reception
of Holy Communion. It is important to encourage their devotion to Christ
who awaits them in the tabernacle. A simple but effective form of
eucharistic catechesis is the material care of everything concerned with
the church and especially the altar and tabernacle: cleanliness and
decor, worthy vestments and vessels, care in celebrating the liturgical
ceremonies,66 genuflection etc. An atmosphere of recollection
should pervade the Blessed Sacrament chapel. This is a centuries-old
tradition guaranteeing that silence which facilitates dialogue with the
Lord. The heart of our churches is the Blessed Sacrament chapel or the
area in which the Eucharistic Christ is reserved and adored. Access to
it should be evident and easily facilitated. It should be open for as
much of the day as possible and it should be well decorated.

All these are signs deriving not from some form of
"spiritualism" but from a well-tested theological tradition of
devotion to the Blessed Eucharist. They are possible only if the priest
is a man of prayer and genuinely devoted to the Holy Eucharist. Only the
pastor who prays will know how to teach others to pray and bring God's
grace on those in his pastoral charge, thereby evincing conversions,
more fervent resolution for life, priestly vocations and special
consecration. Only the priest who has daily experience of the "conversatio
in castes" and whose life is motivated by friendship with Christ
can make genuine advances towards authentic and renewed evangelization.

3. Ministers of Reconciliation with God and the
Church

In a world in which the sense of sin has declined67 it is
most necessary to insist that lack of love for God obscures our
perception of the reality of sin and evil. The initiation of conversion,
not just as a momentary interior act but as a stable disposition, begins
with authentic knowledge of God's merciful love. Those who come to know
and see God in this way cannot live other than in continual conversion
toward him. Thus they live in a state of conversion".68
Penance is an essential constituent of the patrimony in the ecclesial
life of the baptized. It is, however, marked by the hope of pardon:
"you who were once excluded from mercy have now received
mercy" (1 Pt 2:10).

New evangelization calls for renewed efforts to bring the faithful to
the Sacrament of Penance.69 This pastoral task is absolutely
indispensable. The sacrament of Penance "opens the way for
everyone, especially those borne down by grave sin, individually to
experience mercy, that love which is stronger than sin".70
We should never fail to encourage and promote the sacrament while
striving intelligently to renew and revitalize age-old beneficial
Christian traditions. As a first step, with the help of the Holy Spirit,
this should bring the faithful to that conversion which leads to sincere
and contrite recognition of those moral flaws or deficiencies found in
everyone's daily life. It is essential to insist upon the importance of
frequent individual confession in arriving, where possible, at authentic
personal spiritual direction.

Without confusing the sacramental moment with spiritual direction,
priests should know how to identify opportunities to initiate spiritual
dialogue outside of the celebration of the Sacrament. "Rediscovery
and promotion of this practice, also during the various moments of the
Sacrament of Penance, is a major benefit for the contemporary
Church".71 Such leads to an awakening of the sense and
effectiveness of the Sacrament and creates the conditions necessary to
overcome the present crisis. Personal spiritual direction forms true
apostles, capable of activating new evangelization in society. The
success of the mission to re-evangelize so many of the faithful who are
estranged from the Church requires a solid formation for those who have
remained close to her.

New evangelization depends on an adequate number of priests;
experience teaches that many respond positively to a vocation because of
spiritual direction as well as the example given by priests who are
interiorly and exteriorly faithful to their priestly identity. "In
his pastoral work each priest will take particular care concerning
vocations, encouraging prayer for vocations, doing his best in the work
of catechetics and taking care of the formation of ministers. He will
promote appropriate initiatives through a personal rapport with those in
his care, allowing him to discover their talents and to single out the
will of God for them, permitting a courageous choice in following
Christ.... It is desirable that every priest be concerned with inspiring
at least one priestly vocation which could thus continue the
ministry".72

Giving the faithful a real possibility of coming to confession
implies much dedication.73 Fixed times during which the
priest is available in the confessional are warmly to be encouraged.
They should be well publicized and availability on the priest's part
should not be just theoretical. Sometimes the mere fact of having to
search for a confessor is sufficient to delay or postpone confession.
The faithful, on the other hand, willingly approach the sacrament in
places where they know confessors are available.74 Parish
churches and those open for public worship should have a good, well-lit
confessional chapel, suitable for hearing confessions. A regular
organized schedule of confessions should be provided and implemented by
the priests. In order to facilitate the faithful in their desire to
approach the Sacrament care should be taken to maintain the
confessionals by frequent cleaning, ensuring that they are clearly
visible and by affording the possibility of using a grille to those who
wish to remain anonymous.75

It is not always easy to maintain these pastoral practices, but this
is no excuse to overlook their pastoral effectiveness or not to
reinstitute them where they have fallen into disuse. Cooperation between
the diocesan clergy and religious should be encouraged so as to ensure
this pastoral priority. In the same context, recognition must be given
to the daily service provided in the confessional by many older priests
who are true masters of the spiritual life in the various Christian
communities.

This service to the Church would, of course, be more easily
accomplished when priests themselves are the first to approach the
Sacrament of Penance regularly.76 Personal recourse to the
Sacrament by the priest, as penitent, is an indispensable condition for
a generous ministry of Reconciliation.

"All priestly existence undergoes an inexorable decline if the
priest, through negligence or whatever other reason, neglects frequent
recourse, inspired by genuine faith and devotion, to the Sacrament of
Penance. If a priest no longer goes to confession or makes a bad
confession, very quickly this will affect his priestly ministry and be
noticed by the community of which he is pastor".77

"The ministry of priests is above all communion and a
responsible and necessary cooperation with the Bishop's ministry, in
concern for the universal Church and for the individual particular
Churches, for whose service they form with the Bishop a single
presbyterate".78 The brethren in the presbyterate should
always be the special object of the priest's pastoral charity, by
helping them materially and spiritually, by affording the opportunity
for confession and spiritual direction, by encouraging their service, by
helping them in their necessities, by offering fraternal support in
their difficulties, old-age or infirmity. This is truly an area for the
exercise of priestly virtue.

Pastoral prudence is a fundamental virtue for fruitful exercise of
the ministry of Reconciliation. Thus when the minister imparts
absolution he participates as an effective instrument in the sacramental
action. His task in the penitential rites is to place the penitent before
Christ, thereby facilitating an encounter of mercy with the utmost
discretion. Disagreements which do not take into account the reality of
sin should be avoided. Hence the confessor should have opportune
knowledge.79 However, the penitential dialogue should always
be imbued with that understanding which gradually leads to conversion.
It should not, however, lapse into a so-called graduality of moral
norms".

When the practice of confession diminishes, in some cases to the
detriment of the moral life and the conscience of the faithful, the
danger sometimes arises of a decline in the theological and pastoral
quality of the exercise of the ministry of confession. Confessors should
always pray to the Paraclete for the ability to fill this salvific
moment:80 with supernatural meaning and to transform it into
an authentic encounter with the all merciful and forgiving Jesus for the
penitent. He should also avail himself of confession to form the
conscience of the faithful correctly—an extremely important task—by
asking, where necessary, those questions which secure the integrity of
confession and the validity of the sacrament. He should help the
penitent to thank God for his mercy and assist him in making a firm
purpose of amendment for his conduct of the moral life. He should never
fail to encourage the penitent appropriately, offering him comfort and
motivating him to do works of penance which are satisfaction for his
sins and which help him to grow in virtue.

Questionnaire on Chapter Three

15. The essence and saving meaning of the sacraments are invariable.
Starting out from a firm conviction of this position, how can
sacramental pastoral care be renewed and how can it be placed at the
service of new evangelization?

16. Is our particular community a "Church of Eucharist and
Penance"? Is eucharistic devotion in all its form nourished and
promoted? Is the practice of personal confession facilitated and
encouraged?

17. Is habitual reference made to the real, presence of Our
Lord in the tabernacle and, for example, is the fruitful practice of
visiting the Blessed Sacrament encouraged? Are there frequent acts of
eucharistic worship? Do our Churches have an atmosphere which encourages
prayer before the Blessed Sacrament?

18. In a true pastoral spirit is special care given to the proper
maintenance of the Church? Do priest s respect the canonical (cf. canons
284, 669; the Directory for the Ministry and Life of Priests) and
liturgical norms by vesting property and reverently for divine worship
and by wearing all of the prescribed vestments? (cf. canon 929).

19. Do priests go to confession regularly and do they make themselves
available for this important ministry?

20. In the exercise of their pastoral ministry what pastoral efforts
are being made in the area of Reconciliation and Penance? Do churches
and sanctuaries have an established time for hearing confessions? Is it
respected and followed?

21. What initiatives are taken in permanent formation to perfect and
assist priests in their ministry of confessors? Are they encouraged to
update themselves properly for this indispensable ministry?

22. Are confessors reminded of the norms pertaining to prudence in
the confessional regularly and the need for reserve when dealing
with all penitents? Among other things, in this respect, is the
traditional discipline of the confessional employed?

23. Given the importance for new evangelization of a renewal of
individual confession, are the canonical, norms concerning general
absolution observed? Are penitential ceremonies in the various churches
and chapels prepared with prudence and pastoral charity? Are
opportunities made available for a number of examinations of conscience
bearing in mind the diversity of age and states of life?

24. What concrete initiatives are being made to encourage the
faithful to attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation?

CHAPTER FOUR

Loving Pastors of the Flock

'The Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep' (Jn
10: 11)

1. With Christ, incarnating and spreading the mercy
of the Father

"The Church lives an authentic life when she professes and
proclaims mercy—the most stupendous attribute of the Creator
and of the Redeemer—and when she brings people close to the sources of
the Saviour's mercy, of which she is trustee and dispenser".81
This reality essentially distinguishes the Church from other human
institutions dedicated to the promotion of solidarity and philanthropy.
Even when imbued with a religious spirit, by themselves, such
institutions cannot effectively dispense the mercy of God. The mercy of
God as offered by the Church, in contrast with secularized concepts of
mercy which fail to transform man interiorly, is primarily forgiveness
and salvific healing. Its effectiveness on man requires his acceptance
of the entire truth concerning his being, his action and his guilt.
Hence derives the need for sorrow and encounter with the proclamation of
mercy and the fullness of truth. Such affirmations are vitally important
for priests who are called to a particular vocation, by the Church and
in the Church, to reveal and effect the mystery of the Father's love in
their ministry, lived in charity according to the truth (Eph 4:15) and
in docility to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

The mercy of God, manifested by his paternal love, is encountered in
Christ. He reveals his messianic role (cf. Lk 4:18) as the Father's
mercy for all who are in need, especially sinners who need forgiveness
and interior peace. "It is especially for these last that the
Messiah becomes a particularly clear sign of God who is love, a sign of
the Father. In this visible sign the people of our time, just like
people then, can see the Father".82 God "who is
love" (1 Jn 4:16) cannot but reveal himself as mercy.83
Through the sacrifice of his Son, God the Father, in his love,
implicated himself in the drama of man's salvation.

While in the preaching of Christ mercy acquires many striking
characteristics which surpass human realization—as emerges in the
parable of the Prodigal Son (cf. Lk 15, 11-32)—it is in his sacrifice
on the cross that its meaning is most especially revealed. The crucified
Christ is the radical manifestation of the Father's mercy, of that
"love which goes against the very source of evil in human history:
countering sin and death".84 The Christian spiritual
tradition regards the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which draws priestly hearts
to itself, as a profound, mysterious synthesis of the Father's infinite
mercy.

The soteriological dimension of the entire priestly munus
pastorale is centered on the eucharistic Sacrifice, the memorial of
Jesus' offering up of his life. "There exists, in fact, an intimate
rapport between the centrality of the Eucharist, pastoral charity and
the priest's unity of life. He finds in this rapport the decisive
indications for the way to holiness to which he has been specifically
called.... If the priest lends to Christ, Most Eternal High Priest, his
intelligence, will,voice and hands so as to offer through his
own ministry the sacrifice of redemption to the Father, he should make
his own the dispositions of the Master and, like him, live those gifts
for his brothers in the faith. He must therefore learn to unite himself
intimately to the offering, placing his entire life on the altar of
sacrifice as a revealing sign of the gratuitous and anticipatory love of
God".85 In the permanent gift of the eucharistic
Sacrifice, memorial of the death and resurrection of Jesus, priests have
sacramentally received the unique and singular ministerial capacity to
bring the witness of God's infinite love to men, which will be confirmed
as more powerful than sin in salvation history. The paschal Christ is
the definitive incarnation of mercy and its living sign, both in
salvation history and eschatologically.86 According to the
Cure d'Ars, the priesthood is "the love of the heart of
Jesus".87 In virtue of the consecration and their
ministry, with Christ, priests are living and effective signs of this
great love, described by St. Augustine as the "amoris officium".88

2. Sacerdos et Hostia

Essential to authentic mercy is its gratuitous nature. It is received
as an unmerited gift which has been freely and gratuitously given and
which is completely unmerited. Such liberality is part of the Father's
saving plan. "This is the love I mean: not our love for God, but
God's love for us when he sent his son to be the sacrifice that takes
our sins away" (1 Jn 4:10). The ordained minister, in precisely
this context, finds his raison d'etre. No one can confer grace of
himself, it is always given and received.

This presupposes that there are ministers of grace, authorized and
empowered by Christ. In the Church's tradition, the ordained ministry is
referred to as "sacrament", since through the ministry of
those sent by Christ, by God's gift, effect and offer that which they
themselves can neither effect nor give.89

Priests should therefore regard themselves as living signs and
bearers of that mercy which they offer, not as though it were their own,
but as a free gift from God. They are thus servants of God's mercy. The
desire to serve is an essential element of priestly ministry and
requires the respective moral disposition in the subject. The priest
makes Jesus, the Pastor who came to serve and not be served (Mt 20:28)
present to men. The priest primarily serves Christ, but that service
necessarily passes through the Church and her mission.

"He loves us and sheds his blood to wash away our sins: Pontifax
qui dilexisti nos et lavasti a peccatis in sanguine tuo. He gave
himself for us: tradidisti temetipsum Deo oblationem et hostiam.
Christ introduces the sacrifice of himself, ransom, for our redemption,
into the eternal sanctuary. The offering, the sacrificial victim, is
inseparable from the priest".90 While only Christ is
simultaneously Sacerdos et Hostia, his minister who partakes in the
dynamic of the Church's mission, is sacramentally priest and permanently
called to become a Hostia and thereby assimilate "the same
sentiments that Jesus had" (Phil 2:5). The effectiveness of all
evangelizing activity depends on this unbreakable unity of priest and
sacrificial victim,91 or priesthood and Eucharist. Today, the
work of divine mercy, contained in Word and Sacraments, depends on the
unity, in the Holy Spirit, of Christ and his minister, who does not
substitute for him but relies on him and allows him to act in and
through him. The significance of St John's Gospel can be applied to this
link between the ministry of the priest and Jesus: "I am the
vine... cut off from me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:14).

The call to become, like Jesus, a Hostia underlies the compatibility
of the commitment to celibacy with the priestly ministry in the Church.
It implies the incorporation of the priest in the sacrifice with which
"Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her so as to make
her holy" (Eph 5:25-26). The priest is called to be "a living
image of Jesus Christ, Spouse of the Church" and "to make his
entire life an offering for her".92 "Priestly
celibacy, then, is the gift of self in and with Christ to his Church and
expresses the priest's service in and with the Lord".93

3. The Pastoral Ministry of Priests: service of
leading in love and strength

"Priests exercise the function of Christ as Pastor and Head in
proportion to their share of authority. In the name of the Bishop they
gather the family of God as a brotherhood endowed with the spirit of
unity and lead it through Christ in the Spirit to God the Father".94
The indispensable exercise of the munus regendi by the priest, far from
being a mere sociological concept or organizational capacity, derives
also from the sacramental priesthood: "in virtue of the Sacrament
of Orders, after the image of Christ, the supreme and eternal priest
(Heb 5:1-10; 7:24; 9:11-28) they are consecrated in order to preach the
Gospel and shepherd the faithful as well as celebrate divine worship as
true priests of the New Testament".95

Since priests participate in the authority of Christ they differ
notably from the faithful. These realize, however, that "the
presence of Christ in their ministry is not to be understood as if...
[they] were preserved from all human weaknesses, the spirit of
domination, error and even sin".96 The word and guidance
of ministers are subject to greater or lesser effectiveness depending on
their natural or acquired qualities of intelligence, will, character and
maturity. This awareness together with a realization of the sacramental
origins of the pastoral ministry, inspires them to imitate Jesus, the
Good Shepherd, and makes pastoral charity indispensable for a fruitful
exercise of the ministry.

"The essential object of their action as pastors and of the
authority conferred on them" is "to bring the communities
entrusted to them to full spiritual and ecclesial development".97
However, the community dimension of pastoral care... the needs of
each of the faithful... Jesus himself, the Good Shepherd, calls
"his sheep one by one" with a voice well known to them (Jn
10:34). By his example he has set the first canon of individual pastoral
care: knowledge of the people and friendly relations with them.98
In the Church, a community vision of the pastoral ministry must be in
harmony with this personal pastoral care Indeed, in building up the
Church the pastor always moves from a personal to a community dimension
In relating to individuals and communities, the pries cares for all "eximia
humanitate"99He can never be the servant of
an ideology or of a faction.100 He is obliged to treat men
"not according to what may please men, but according to the demands
of Christian doctrine and life".101

Today more than ever, the style of pastoral action needs to be such
as can address the demands arising in traditionally Christian
communities which have become largely secularized. In this context,
consideration of the munus regendi, in its original missionary
sense, acquires greater significance. The munus regendi, however,
should never be confused with a merely bureaucratic or organizational
task. It requires a loving exercise of strength on the part of priests—the
model for which is the pastoral activity of Jesus Christ. He, as is
clear from the Gospels, never refused to assume that responsibility
deriving from his messianic authority and exercised it with charity and
strength. This authority is not an oppressive domination but a spirit of
and a willingness to serve. This dual aspect—authority and service—is
the reference point for the munus regendi of the priest who must
always commit himself to a coherent exercise of his participation in the
condition of Christ, Head and Shepherd of the flock.102

The priest, with and under the Bishop, is also a pastor of the
community entrusted to him. Moved by pastoral charity he should not fear
to exercise proper authority in those areas where he is obliged to
exercise it for he has been constituted in authority for this very
purpose. It must be recalled that when authority is duly exercised it is
done "non tarn praeesse quam prodesse" (not so much to command
but to serve).103 Those in authority must overcome the
temptation: to exempt themselves from this responsibility. If they do
not exercise authority, they no longer serve. In close communion with
his Bishop and with his faithful, the priest should avoid introducing
into his pastoral ministry all forms of authoritarianisim and forms of
democratic administration which are alien to the profound reality of the
ministry, for these lead to a secularization of the priest and a
clericalization of the laity.104 Behind such approaches to
the ministry there is often a hidden fear of assuming responsibility or
making mistakes, of not being liked or of being unpopular or indeed a
reluctance to accept the cross. Ultimately these spring from an
obscuring of the real source of priestly identity which is assimilation
to Christ, the Shepherd and Head of the flock.

New evangelization requires that the priest make his authentic
presence evident in the community. They should realize that the
ministers of Jesus Christ are present and available to all men.105
Thus their amicable insertion into the community is always important. In
this context it is easy to understand the significance and pastoral role
of the discipline concerning clerical garb, to which the priest should
always conform since it is a public proclamation of his limitless
dedication to the brethren and to the faithful in his service to Jesus
Christ. The more society is marked by secularization, the greater the
need for signs.

The priest should avoid falling into the contradictory position of
abdicating exercise of his specific authority so as to involve himself
in temporal, social or even political matters,106 which God
has left to the free disposition of man.

The priest enjoys a certain prestige amongst the faithful and, in
some places, with the civil authorities. He should, however, be aware
that such prestige should be lived in humility and used correctly for
the promotion of the "salus animarum" while remembering that
Christ is the real head of the people of God. It is to him that the
faithful must be directed and not to any attachment to an individual
priest. The faithful belong to Christ alone, for only he has redeemed
them by his precious blood, to the glory of God the Father. He is thus
Lord of all supernatural goods and Teacher who teaches with authority.
In Christ and the Holy Spirit, the priest is but an administrator of the
gifts entrusted to him by the Church. He has no right to omit or deviate
them or remodel them to his own liking.107 He has received,
for example, no authority to teach the Christian faithful that only some
of the truths of the Christian faith have been given to him so as to
obscure or ignore others which he personally considers more difficult to
accept or "less relevant".108

Concerning new evangelization and the pastoral leader-ship given by
priests, all need to undertake a sincere and careful discernment. The
attitude of "not wishing to impose" etc., may well mask a
misconception of the very theological substance of the pastoral ministry
or a lack of character which seeks to escape responsibility. Neither
undue attachment to persons or particular ministerial positions nor
misguided desires for popularity nor lack of proper intention can be
underestimated when making this discernment. Pastoral charity, void of
humility, is empty. Pride or need to crave attention can mask seemingly
motivated rebellion, reticence in the face of pastoral changes desired
by the Bishop, eccentric preaching and celebration of the liturgy,
refusal to wear ecclesial garb or alteration of ecclesiastical garb for
personal convenience.

New evangelization demands a renewal of commitment to the pastoral
ministry, especially on the part of priests. "As the Council points
out 'the spiritual gift which priests have received in ordination does
not prepare them merely for a limited and circumscribed mission, but for
the fullest, in fact the universal mission of salvation to the end of
the earth. The reason is that every priestly ministry shares in the
fullness of the mission entrusted by Christ to the Apostles'".109
Numerical shortages of clergy, experienced in some countries, coupled
with the mobility of the contemporary world makes it particularly
necessary to be able to call on priests who are willing to change not
only pastoral assignments but also cities, regions, countries in
response to various needs and to undertake whatever mission may be
necessary while renouncing personal plans and desires for the sake of
the love of God. "By the very nature of their ministry they should
therefore be penetrated and animated by a profound missionary spirit and
'with that truly Catholic spirit which habitually looks beyond the
boundaries of diocese, country or rite, to meet the needs of the whole
Church, being prepared in spirit to preach the Gospel everywhere'".110
A correct sense of the particular Church, especially in permanent
formation, should never obscure a sense of the universal Church and
should always be in harmony with it.

Questionnaire on Chapter Four

25. How can the Mercy of God of those in need be made more clearly
evident through our communities and especially through our priests? is
sufficient emphasis given to the practice of the spiritual and
corporeal. works of merry as a means of attaining Christian maturity,
and of evangelizing?

26. Is pastoral charity in all its dimensions reality "the soul
and dynamism of the permanent formation" of our priests?

27. Are priests encouraged to care for their brother priests with a
sincere fraternal spirit, especially the sick and the old or those who
find themselves in difficulty? Are there forms of common life available?

28. Do our priests understand and exercise their proper and correct
function as spiritual leaders of the communities entrusted to them? In
what concrete form is this exercised?

29. Given the urgency of the apostolic mission on the threshold of
the third millennium when all the faithful must be asked to have the
courage to show that they are followers of Christ by manifesting
themselves as believers, how can emphasis be given to the need for
priests to make ever more evident, even externally, their specific
presence among men?

30. Is sufficient emphasis given to the missionary dimension of the
sacred ministry and to the Church's universal dimension in the spiritual
formation of priests?

31. Do we factually omit preaching on certain truths of the faith or
particular moral principles simply because they are regarded as
difficult to accept?

32. Are all priests encouraged to teach Christian morality in its
integrity?

33. One of the demands of the pastoral ministry is to unite
initiatives in promoting the mission of evangelizing. Are all the
vocations present in the Church encouraged and their specific charisms
respected?

CONCLUSION

"New evangelization needs new evangelizers and these are the
priests who are serious about living their priesthood as a specific path
toward holiness".111 To accomplish this it is
fundamentally important that every priest rediscover the absolute need
for personal sanctity. "Before purifying others, they must purify
themselves; to instruct others they must be instructed; they have to
become light in order to illuminate and become close to God in order to
bring others closer to him; they have to be sanctified in order to
sanctify". 112 This commitment is made concrete in a
profound unity of life which leads the priest to be and live as another
Christ in all the circumstances of his life.

The faithful in the parish and those who collaborate in various
pastoral activities see, observe, feet, and listen not only when the
Word of God is preached but also when the liturgy is celebrated,
especially the Mass, when they are received in the parochial office
(which should be comfortable and welcoming);113 when the
priest eats and when he rests and they are edified by his temperance and
sobriety; when they visit his home and they rejoice in his simplicity
and priestly poverty;114 when they talk with him and discuss
common interests and are comforted by his spiritual outlook, his
courtesy and his behaviour in treating humble people with priestly
nobility. "The grace and charity of the Altar are diffused at the
ambo, in the confessional, in the parish archive, in the schools and
oratories, in the homes of the faithful, in the streets and at the
hospitals, on public transport and in the media. The priest has an
opportunity to fulfil his role as Pastor everywhere. In every instance
it is his Mass which is diffused. His spiritual union with Christ,
Priest and Host, causes him to be the grain of God that is to become the
true bread of Christ—as St Ignatius of Antioch says (Epist. ad
Romanos, IV, 1)—for the good of the brethren".115

Thus the priest of the third millennium will be able to repeat again
the reaction of the disciples at Emmaus, who, having heard Jesus, the
Divine Teacher, explain the Scriptures, could not but ask themselves
"did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road
and explained the Scriptures to us?" (Lk 24:32). We pastors should
entrust ourselves to Mary, Queen and Mother of the Church, so that,
united with the Vicar of Christ, we may discover new ways to evince a
sincere desire for renewal among the Church's priests in their tasks as
teachers of the Word, ministers of the Sacraments and leaders of the
community. Let us ask the Queen of Evangelization for the Church to
discover anew the path which the mercy of God, in Christ and through the
Holy Spirit, has prepared from all eternity to draw all men, including
our own generation, into communion with him.

Rome, at the Palace of the Congregations, 19 March 1999, Solemnity of
St Joseph, Patron of the universal Church.

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos

Prefect

Csaba TernyikkTitular Archbishop of Eminentiana Secretary

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mary,

Star of the new evangelization, who from the outset gladdened and
renewed the hearts of the apostles and their helpers in their spreading
the Gospel, at the dawn of the third millennium, cause to grow in
priests an increasing realization that they are primarily responsible
for new evangelization.

Mary,

First of the evangelized and first evangelizer, who with incomparable
faith, hope and charity responded to the Angel, intercede for those
configured to your Son, Christ the Priest, so that they too may respond
in the same spirit to the Holy Father's urgent call made to them in the
Father's name on the occasion of the great Jubilee.

Mary,

Teacher of lived faith, who accepted the divine Word in total
availability, teach priests to know the Word in prayer and to devote
themselves to his service in humility and love, so that the same Word
may continue to exercise his all saving power in the third millennium.

Mary,

Full of grace and Mother of grace, protect your priestly sons who,
like you, are called to be collaborators of the Spirit who causes Jesus
to be born in the hearts of the faithful. Teach them to be faithful
dispensers of the mysteries of God during this anniversary of the birth
of your Son, so that with your help they may open the way of
reconciliation to sinners, make the Eucharist the summit of their lives
and of the lives of those entrusted to them.

Mary,

Morning Star of the third millennium, continue to guide the priests
of Jesus Christ in following your example of love of God and love of
neighbour. May they know how to be true pastors. May they guide the
footsteps of all men to your Son, true fight enlightening all men (Jn
1:9). May priests and through them, all God's people, listen lovingly to
his call on the eve of a new millennium in the history of salvation:
"Do what he tells you" (John 2:5). The Vicar of Christ tells
us that "with renewed force, the year 2000 should echo the
proclamation of the truth: Ecce natus est nobis Salvator Mundi".

6 "The Christian religion is often regarded as just one religion
among many or reduced to nothing more than a social ethic at the service
of man. As a result its amazing novelty in human history is quite often
not apparent. It is a 'mystery', the event of the coming of the Son of
God who becomes man and gives to those who welcome him the 'power to
become children of God' (Jn 1:12)" (John Paul II. Post-Synodal
Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis, n. 46: l. c., pp.
738-739).

7 Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Presbyterorum ordinis, n.
2; John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo
vobis, n. 13: l. c., 677-678; Congregation for the Clergy, Directory
for the Ministry and Life of Priests, nn. 1, 3, 6: l. c., pp. 7, 9,
1011; Congregation for the Clergy, Pontifical Council for the Laity,
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Congregation for Divine
Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Congregation for Bishops,
Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Pontifical Council for
the Interpretation of Legislative Texts, instruction Ecclesiae de
mysterio (15 August 1997) on some aspects of the collaboration of
the lay faithful with the ministry of priests, Foreword: AAS 89
(1997), p. 852.

40 Cf. The Congregation for the Clergy, Pontifical Council for the
Laity, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Congregation for
Bishops, Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Congregation
for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life,
Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts,
Interdicasterial Instruction Ecclesiae de mysterio on some
questions concerning the collaboration of the lay faithful with the
ministry of priests, 15 August 1997, article 3: AAS 89 (1997), p.
852ff.

79 In this regard, a solid preparation on those matters which arise
more frequently in confession is asked of priests. A useful aid in this
respect is the Vademecum for Confessors concerning Some Aspects of
the Morality of Conjugal Life (Pontifical Council for the Family, 12
February 1997, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997).

102 Cf. Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry
and Life Of Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 17: 1. c., pp. 18-20.

103 St Augustine, Ep. 134, 1: CSEL 44,85.

104 Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and
Life of Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 19; John Paul II, Allocution at
the Symposium "Collaboration of the Laity with the Pastoral
Ministry of Priests" (22 April 1994), n. 4; Sacrum
Ministerium 1 (1995), p. 64; cf. Congregation for the Clergy,
Pontifical Council for the Laity, Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline ofthe
Sacraments, Congregation for Bishops, Congregation for the
Evangelization of Peoples, Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated
Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Pontifical Council for the
Interpretation ofLegal Texts, Interdicasterial instruction Ecclesiae
de mysterio on some questions concerning the collaboration of the
lay faithful with the ministry of priests, 15 August 1997, Foreword: AAS
89 (1997), p. 852.

105 Congregation for the Clergy, Directory for the Ministry and
Life of Priests, Tota Ecclesia, n. 66: 1. c., pp. 67-68.